Winemaker Notes
Dragonette is thrilled with the performance of this wine, as it is already beginning to show explosive, complex aromatics (red, blue and black fruits, spices and meats), lovely texture with vibrant, layered red, blue and purple fruits, but also plenty of acidity and tannic structure to provide a long finish for such a young wine.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2021 Seven is a potent, brooding wine. Huge swaths of tannin wrap around a core of black fruit, leather, game, tobacco, licorice and incense. Vineyard sources are Stolpman, Spear, Kimsey and John Sebastiano. Sites on the eastern side of the Sta. Rita Hills and Ballard Canyon very much bring out the darker side of Syrah.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Always a Southern Rhône-like blend, the 2021 Syrah Seven is based on 95% Syrah and nearly equal parts Grenache and Viognier, all from the Santa Ynez Valley. Mulberries, peppery herbs, flowers, black cherries, and new saddle leather are just some of its nuances, and it's medium to full-bodied, with plenty of tannins, terrific balance, and outstanding length. It's a terrific red blend to enjoy over the coming 7-8 years, and it might even benefit from a year or two in the cellar.
Rating: 93+
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Ranging from cool and foggy in the west to warm and dry in the east, the Santa Ynez Valley is a climatically diverse growing area. The most expansive AVA within the larger Santa Barbara County region, Santa Ynez is also home to a wide variety of soil types and geographical features. The appellation is further divided into four distinct sub-AVAs—Sta. Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon, Los Olivos District and Happy Canyon—each with its own defining characteristics.
A wide selection of grapes is planted here—more than sixty different varieties, and counting. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir dominate in the chilly west, while Zinfandel, Rhône blends, and Bordeaux blends rule the arid east. Syrah is successful at both ends of the valley, with a lean and peppery, Old-World sensibility closer to the coast and lush berry fruit further inland.